The invention relates to the use of a refrigerant in turbocompressors.
Following the discovery of the ozone-damaging effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), such as R11, R12, R114, and chlorofluorohydrocarbons (HCFCs), such as R22 and R123, in the 1970s, with the Montreal Protocol an agreement was signed in 1987 to replace these substances with other refrigerants. Further international and national secondary legislation shortened the agreed phasing-out terms for these substances. For this reason, it was necessary to search for suitable substitutes which can replace CFCs and HCFCs in present applications.
The use of R365mfc as blowing agent or refrigerant is known, but its application as refrigerant in turbocompressors has not been described hitherto.
Turbocompressors in the field of refrigeration engineering are exclusively of radial construction. They are distinguished e.g. by a low power to weight ratio, small bulk and low susceptibility to failure.
It is likewise known that substances having a high relative molecular weight are suitable as refrigerants for turbocompressors, since a lower head and hence frequently a lower number of stages are required in order to reach a given compression ratio than for a substance with a lower relative molecular weight.
Typical refrigerants for turbocompressors include, for example, trichlorofluoromethane (R11), dichlorodifluoromethane (R12), chlorodifluoromethane (R22), 1,2-dichlorotetrafluoroethane (R114) or dichlorotrifluoroethane (R123). The use of 1,2,2,3,3-pentafluoropropane and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane as refrigerant in turbocompressors has been described in EP 0 595 937 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,825, respectively.
The specifications of the turbocompressors are determined, inter alia, by the type of refrigerant. Usually, the turbocompressors are designed based on the necessary, known or still to be determined properties of the selected refrigerant.